About 100 Iranians gathered in front of the Imam Mahdi Islamic Centre to protest the mosque's ties and affiliation with the Islamic Regime in Iran, as well as the presence of a speaker Mr. Mir Bagheri, a religion professor who is also linked to the Regime in Iran.

Today once again we were able to show the Regime that Iranians can unite and when we do our voice is loud, clear and strong. It was wonderful to see people from many different groups and organizations including leftists, Mojahedin, monarchists and those who support a secular republic all stand together with various flags and signs chanting "down with the Islamic Regime in Iran."

The strong voice of unity was able to shake down the walls of the mosque and the cores of the Islamic Regime. We will not allow the Regime to make Canada into a safe heavan to promote its barbaric Islam!

Big thanks to everyone who came, and let's keep it up, keep our voices loud and strong and force the Regime and its lobbies into the holes that they belong.

As many of you may have noticed, Toronto is increasingly being targeted by Islamist to promote Islam and Islamism, to recruit Muslims, especially younger individuals into the Islamic movement, and to create a certain united Islamic front.

The Imam Mahdi Islamic Centre which was created in 2004 by “certain Iranians” is one such place. While the Centre keeps a low profile and flies under the radar of non-Muslims and non Islamists, it is quite active within the Islamic community, promoting the Islamic ideology practiced by the Islamic Regime dictatorship in Iran, and recruiting individuals into the Islamist movement.

The Centre has organized a series of events featuring Dr. Mir Bagheri which started on April 3rd and will continue until April 13th. Mr. Mir Bagheri is an influential religion professor under the Islamic Regime.

It is no secret that the Regime is active in sending religious and cultural attaches to Canada in order to “normalize” and promote the Islamic Regime and the type of Islam practiced by the Regime. These cultural and religious representatives can take the shape of film makers, directors, actors and singers, influential scholars and professors etc… These individuals through cultural or religious events try to hide the brutal dictatorship that has been oppressing the Iranian people for 32 years, and instead focus on culture or religion in an attempt to show a different side of the Islamic Regime in Iran.

The organizers of this event have tried to keep the event low key, no doubt to prevent protests and any other type of criticism.

It is crucial to realize that this is not an Iranian issue or an Iranian problem. The promotion of the Islamic Regime and its brutal values which is actively taking place in Canada affects all Canadians. It is the responsibility of each one of us to become engaged, vocal and active against this dangerous trend.

The first step to take is awareness, to become informed and inform others around us of such activities taking place. Once we are aware and armed with knowledge we must take action through protests, writing, and voicing our concerns with the Canadian Government.

About This Writer

Sayeh Hassan is a criminal defense lawyer with Walter Fox & Associates and an Iranian Pro-Democracy activist. She is the author of the shiro-khorshid-forever blog (www.shiro-khorshid-forever.blogspot.com) which focuses on the pro-democracy movement and Regime Change in Iran. Through her pro-democracy activities she stays in close contact with activists in Iran as well as retaining contacts with various human rights and pro-democracy organizations abroad. She regularly speaks at conferences, has appeared on television and radio programs and her writing has been published by publications such as National Post, Toronto Star & Ottawa Citizen. She can be contacted at sayehhassan30@gmail.com